Got Milk?
by Americanwallflower
Summary: A simple trip to the grocery store turns into something a lot more serious. hurt!Jack and the horsemen taking care of him. If you've read any of my other stories, it's pretty much that. T for language. Thank you! Read&Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! I'm so sorry I haven't written in a while...but I'm back! Here's another hurt!Jack because I don't know how to write anything else. Enjoy!**

"We need more milk!" Henley called from the kitchen, shutting refrigerator the door with frustration. It seemed to her that she was the only responsible one in the house. She glanced into the living room to see Merritt and Danny. Danny buried his head deeper into his book, and Merritt yelled, "Sorry, I'm sleeping!"

Henley groaned. "You guys suck."

"I'LL GO!" An excited yell came from the other room. Jack raced into the kitchen, playing cards still in hand. Henley laughed at his eagerness to do the simplest tasks, like a child excited about feeding his dog. She handed him his jacket and warned, "Okay, but be careful. The cops are still on our asses." With a quick nod of thanks, Jack burst out the door. After a few steps, he turned on his heel, poked his head back through, said to Henley, "Don't worry, I'll be fine," winked, and ran off.

The cold night winter air hit his skin like a brick wall, but Jack loved it. The other horsemen weren't bothered by their seemingly "house arrest", but Jack couldn't stand it. Throwing cards at the wall–and occasionally Merritt–could only hold his attention for so long. As he walked through the busy streets of New York to the corner store, he looked at the people around him. Looking at the same three faces each and every day had made strangers on the sidewalk more fascinating than ever.

He finally reached the store and made sure to duck to the right to avoid the security camera perched to his left. Quickly making his way through the isles, he grabbed a gallon of milk and brought it to the register. The cashier tried to make small talk, but Jack supplied him with short, choppy answers. He didn't like the way the employee was looking at him, lingering too long on each of his facial features as if piecing together a puzzle. After what seemed like forever, Jack exited the store, wanting to run, but knowing better than to add to the cashier's suspicions.

"Slow. Down."

" _Slow_. _Down_."

He kept whispering the same two words to himself, but the more he repeated the phrase, the more nervous he grew. Instead, he began counting his steps, restarting when his foot hit a crack. It was something he had done as a child when walking through the streets of Brooklyn to calm himself down. It seemed to be working until he heard "Jack Wilder! Put your hands where we can see them."

 _That's the last thing I'm about to do,_ Jack thought as he took off running. He heard a bullet scream by his head, followed by real screams, and finished off with the milk carton splashing on the pavement.

 _Sorry Henley._

Another gunshot rang in his ears, only making him run faster, enjoying the adrenaline of the chase.

"STOP! We WILL shoot!"

 _You already did. Twice,_ Jack thought with a small laugh. He turned in the opposite direction of the horsemens' apartment and led the officers down a completely different street, making his way toward a large brick wall. Quickly locating the small trash can that always sat at the base of the wall, he jumped a top of it and launched himself to the ledge, making sure to kick it over after so it wouldn't be of immediate use to the officers. Said officers gave up the chase as soon as they saw Jack scale the wall, knowing by the time they found a way to the other side, he would already be blending in with a new sea of people and cacophony of chatter and angry traffic.

A smirk overcame Jack's face at outrunning the cops, along with a sense of relief that he hadn't blown a simple trip to the store. However, his satisfaction was short lived, as he lost his footing and descended in an awkward tangle of limbs. His shoulder was the first to hit the ground seven feet below, on the other side of the wall. A sickening POP bounced off the alley walls, followed by a few muffled clunks and clicks. He screamed at the initial contact but then began choking on his own outburst. His breathing suddenly became labored and he struggled to get a good breath in; each inhale jarred his injured arm further, worsening the pain.

"Ow," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut tight. He moved to his hands and knees to try and push himself up, but as soon as he applied the smallest bit of pressure, his entire right side collapsed, and he was back to a pained heap on the concrete. Using only his left hand, Jack pushed himself to his feet, with his right arm hanging uselessly beside him.

He could already feel his shoulder swelling inside his sleeve and pushing against the tight leather of his jacket. The pain had spiked significantly and his arm felt extremely unstable, like he no longer had control over it. This was something Jack had never experienced before, so he was, at the least, a little frightened. Not knowing what to do, he began to shake his arm to relieve the pain, which quickly proved to be a huge mistake. As soon as he tried to move his arm in the slightest, multiple _pops_ and _clicks_ rang out through his joint, bringing new pain with each burst. "What..." _POP "_ Shit..." _clickclick "_ OW" _popClick "OKAY_ that's...enough". He was doubled over in pain now, clutching his shoulder with his opposite hand and breathing heavily.

 _Nope nope nope bad idea, just let it hang there. Don't. Move it._ Gritting his teeth to suppress anymore cries of agony, he waited for the fresh wave of pain to pass before he began the stumble home, still protectively holding his injured arm.

 _It's ok, Danny will know what to do. It's ok, Danny will know what to do._

This mantra got him the four blocks to the run down apartment, and barely up the stairs to the third floor. Jack was surprised he hadn't collapsed in the middle of the street and/or thrown up, but didn't want to jinx himself as he kicked the door with his foot for someone to let him in, as one of his arms was no longer working, and the other was grasping the latter.

Please open please open. I need help. Please...

Recognizing Jack's knocking pattern, Henley came to the door and opened it for the youngest horsemen. Seeing the door swing open and Henley's comforting smile, Jack was overwhelmed with a sense of relief.

"Jack! What–"

Before she could finish her sentence, Jack's body gave in to the pain and exhaustion, as he fell to the ground.

"I forgot...the milk."

 **First chapter done! Hope you guys enjoyed. If I get enough interest/reviews on this story I'll post the next chapter soon. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2. I decided to make my own medical rules to suit the hurt!Jack, so sorry for the inaccuracies. Enjoy!**

Henley didn't know what to do. This was the first time in a long time that she had no idea what to do. Among the horsemen, she was the one everyone looked to in situations like this. Yes, Daniel was their leader and orchestrated every plan, but with matters regarding the wellbeing of their dysfunctional family, it was always Henley who came to the rescue. But right now, staring at Jack's crumpled body on the floor of their small New York apartment, she was at a loss.

The panicked footsteps of Danny and Merritt pulled her from her thoughts, as they came racing behind her.

"What the hell happened?" Danny asked slowly, a dangerous edge to his voice. He crouched down to Jack, but looked back to Henley for an answer. Merritt stood next to him, wondering the same thing, but unable to find the words.

"I…I don't know. He just fell through the door and…I don't know," Henley replied shakily.

Danny tried to get a better look at Jack's face, but the boy was laying flat on the ground, making it difficult.

"Jack? Jack, can you hear me?" Danny whispered softly to the seemingly-unconscious figure. He waited a second, then placed a hand upon Jack's shoulder and rocked him gently. As soon as he did so, a shriek sounded from Jack and his eyes shot wide open. He somehow managed to push himself to a sitting position and grabbed his injured arm with his other hand, eyes now shut tight to get through the new wave of pain.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Danny soothed, holding his hands up to show Jack that he had no intention of harming him any further. Merritt and Henley watched in silence, as bystanders watching an officer handle an injured wild animal.

Breathing heavily, Jack opened his eyes and saw Danny sitting in front of him. "Danny…." he croaked, his voice hoarse.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here." Danny spoke slowly, as if talking to a disorientated child, which, at this point, Jack wasn't far from. "What happened, Jack?"

Still holding his arm protectively, Jack looked down at the hanging limb. Everything soon came back to him–the cops, the chase, the wall, the POP, the trek home–and he brought his gaze up to Danny. "I jumped over the wall…I lost my footing and landed… It popped really loudly… It doesn't feel right…"

Danny nodded along with Jack's story, somehow following the trail he was left to piece together. He assumed the "it" was the sleight's shoulder, as he hadn't let go of it since he regained consciousness.

"Can I see it?"

Jack's face drained of its color and he began to shake his head lazily. Even this small movement jarred his arm, and he tried to suppress a grimace as it ran across his face.

"Jack."

The boy looked back up to Danny, tired and pained eyes analyzing his sincere face but serious tone of voice. He blinked slowly, nodded his head, and reached his hand out to Danny.

"Thank you." Danny stood, took Jack's hand in his and gently pulled him to his feet, quickly placing his other hand on the sleight's back to stop him from swaying as a wave of dizziness hit him. They then began to head for the living room with slow steps, soon gaining speed as Jack became more aware of his surroundings and the current situation. Danny turned around to Merritt and Henley behind him, hastily ordering Henley to shut the apartment door, and Merritt to clear off the small table in the living room.

Once the magazines, playing cards and blueprints were removed from the table, Danny helped Jack to sit down. He seemed more himself, as he was more alert and coherent, but the pain he was experiencing was still evident from the way a grimace or wince repeatedly took over his face. Danny noted this, but he was more concerned with the fact that Jack had not yet once moved his arm; he wasn't sure if it was because of the extreme pain he was in, or, the option that worried Daniel the most, he was unable to move it at all.

He knelt in front of Jack, clearing his mind to focus on the matter at hand. He needed to look at the boy's shoulder, but of course, it was underneath his favorite leather jacket. And Danny knew that if he suggested cutting it, Jack would knock him out, even with his dominant side rendered useless.

"We need to get your jacket off… _Don't worry_ –" Danny saw Jack start to protest "–I won't cut it, but it's not gonna be easy either way."

Jack relaxed as much as he could in his current situation. "Thanks."

Danny gave him a small nod, and moved closer to Jack. The jacket was already unzipped, making things the slightest bit easier. Danny and Jack's eyes met, as Danny was uncomfortably close to Jack's face, adding to the awkwardness of the full-grown man taking off the 20-ish year old boy's jacket as if he was a child. Jack quickly turned his head to the other side, a rosy red creeping up his cheeks. Danny laughed quietly to himself as he slipped the left sleeve off of Jack's arm, and let the leather sit lazily on the table. He reached over to Jack's right side, and as he did so, he could see the boy visibly tense up as he moved closer to his injured side.

"Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you." They both knew the falseness of the statement, but somehow it made them feel a little better.

Danny began to pull lightly at the cuff of the jacket, when his hand brushed against Jack's. The sleight's fingers and palm were alarmingly cold, making Danny's stomach drop. He looked up to Jack, who was seemingly not bothered by the interaction, which at first calmed Danny's nerves, before a new, alarming thought popped into his head.

"Jack?"

Jack turned from the spot he was staring at on the wall to Danny in front of him. "Yeah?"

"Can you….feel that?" Danny touched Jack's hand again, squeezing harder this time.

"Feel what…." Jack looked down to his right hand, a cold fear rushing through him. "No…"

Danny's head dropped and he let out a frustrated sigh. "This jacket needs to come off _now._ And no, I'm not gonna cut it, 'cause then you'll cut me, but it's coming _off._ Okay?" His eyes met Jack's again. "Okay," Danny responded to himself. He hated his lack of bedside-manner when the horsemen's youngest member was in such pain, but the direness of the situation left no room for social skills.

"Merritt, come here," Danny called, still focusing on the cuff of the leather jacket. The mentalist quickly got up from his spot on the couch next to Henley, and closed the distance of a few steps from him and the coffee table.

"Put your hand–" Danny grabbed the older man's large hand with his own "–brace yourself, Jack– here." He placed Merritt's hand under the collar of the jacket, pushing Jack's shoulder toward his neck. "Now keep it there; I'm gonna pull the sleeve off. _Don't_ let him move it." Merritt followed Danny's instructions, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt run through his chest as Jack's weak frame shuddered beneath his touch.

"Sorry, Jackie," Merritt said sheepishly.

"It's okay–" Jack was cut off by his own gasp as Danny yanked the sleeve off of his arm, adding the extra force to move the tight leather over the already swollen joint.

Jack gritted his teeth, but a loud "arg" escaped his mouth. He grabbed his arm with his opposite hand, holding the shoulder gingerly, cradling it from anyone's touch.

" _Holy…..shit…"_ his voice was barely audible as a result of his ragged breaths. He had now folded into himself, leaning heavily on his knees with his elbows to further protect his arm.

Danny had to look away. The guilt was unreal. He had never seen Jack in so much pain, and he knew how much the boy hated to be seen as vulnerable, which only added to his guilt. His feelings were mirrored on Merritt, who had returned to the couch to avoid the sight. Forcing himself to look back, Danny spoke softly to the crumpled boy in front of him.

"Jack?"

"I'm ok, I'm ok, I'm ok…." Jack repeated over and over again, his voice trailing off at the end. He hadn't yet returned to a sitting position, and was still doubled over, clutching his arm.

"No, you're not."

 **Two more reviews and I'll post the next chapter. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I love to see them. As promised, here's chapter 3.**

"No, you're not," Danny muttered, guilt overriding him.

The pained brown eyes peaked out from the scrunched up figure. With a long shaky breath, Jack pushed off his leg with his left arm until he had straightened himself out and was back to the sitting position he had started in. His right arm now rested on his thigh with his hand hanging limply off his knee. He looked to Danny.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock," he rasped, a cough rattling through his body. "What's next?"

"Do you have any particular attachment to that white v-neck?"

Jack looked down at his shirt. "Not anymore."

"Good," Danny said matter-of-factly. He looked to the couch. "Henley, get the scissors."

Henley jumped slightly at hearing her name but quickly got up and retrieved what Danny had asked for.

After handing the scissors to Danny, she sat back down on the couch. She didn't know why, but she felt out of place in the situation, as if she should be the one helping Jack. She didn't say anything, though; it seemed that Danny knew what to do, and she wasn't about to interrupt.

"Alright," Danny began, taking the scissors in hand. "I'm going to cut this and then we can look at your shoulder, ok?" Jack nodded apprehensively. "This won't hurt nearly as much as the jacket. I promise," Danny assured Jack, slipping the scissors under the brim of the shirt. He paused and eyed the sleight. "Unless you move." Jack's face broke into a small smile as he let out a breathless laugh, giving Danny a sense of achievement at cracking the boy's pained expression.

Regaining focus, Danny cut the shirt off of Jack's torso, being especially careful on his right side. The swelling was much more visible now, as Jack's right sleeve appeared much tighter than his left one.

"Don't move."

Danny carefully slipped the blade under the cotton and cut away the fabric, revealing the skin beneath. A small gasp sounded from the couch as Henley gawked at the black and blue surrounding the joint, along with the deformity of it. Jack's eyes widened as well; he knew something was wrong, but he hadn't imagined it looking _that_ bad.

Danny was thinking what the others' faces were saying, but he showed no expression, for Jack's sake. He could feel the boy's fear and didn't want to add to it.

"Can I look at it?" he asked Jack, still kneeling in front of him.

Jack swallowed hard and nodded.

Danny returned the nod and positioned himself on Jack's right side. Just before he was about to lay his hand on the shoulder, he heard Jack's voice.

"Wait," he said softly, then turned back to the couch. "Hen..."

Henely's heart broke at the desperateness in his voice, and she practically jumped out of her seat and kneeled in front of Jack like Danny had been doing. She positioned herself more to Jack's left to draw his attention away from what Daniel was doing.

"Jack, I don't want you to look at me. Tell me what happened, but focus on Henley." Danny instructed.

"Yeah...Okay," Jack responded, meeting Henley's gaze. He swallowed and let out a shaky breath

"When I was checking out at the store, the cashier kept looking at me weird, so I got out as soon as I was done."

Danny placed his hand on the swollen joint, looking at its lopsidedness with great concern. Jack flinched and inhaled quickly, but continued talking.

"I was walking home but then I heard the police behind me, so I ran in the opposite direct-"

Jack gasped loudly as Danny pushed into his shoulder, feeling for the bone. He shut his eyes tightly and began breathing in short, ragged breaths. The knuckles of his left hand had turned white, as he squeezed his fist harder and harder.

"Keep going," Danny prompted, feeling horrible for the pain he was causing, but knowing it was necessary.

"I'm...trying... but you're making it...a little...difficult," Jack sputtered, jaw now clenched shut to suppress any screams. He then felt a finger beneath his chin, lifting his head up from the ground he was involuntarily staring at behind his shut eyes.

"Hey. _Hey_." It was Henely, he soon realized. "Look at me. Keep talking." Opening his eyes to see her soothing face, he nodded and continued.

"So I ran...in the opposite direction towards the big brick wall. You know, the one..." He gestured in a random direction with his now un-clutched left hand, knowing that Henley would understand. "Yeah. That...one." Danny had taken Jack's elbow in his hand and was moving it gently, sending fresh waves of pain.

"And...then... I climbed up it..." Jack reached out and grabbed Henley's hand, squeezing it harder as his own pain levels increased. "I lost my footing...and...- _OW_ , Danny-...fell to the other side. My shoulder hit the ground first..." He shut his eyes and took another shaky breath.

"Did it pop?" Daniel asked, still examining the limb for himself.

"Yeah. Like...three times," Jack replied. "And then...I got home. I'm still not sure...how. Are you...done yet?"

"Yeah. Finished," Danny responded, and moved himself in front of Jack.

Sensing it was time for her to return to the couch, Henley did just that, but not before she received a weak "thank you" from Jack. She smiled softly, wishing nothing more than for the hell to be over for their youngest horseman.

Jack then shifted his gaze to Danny kneeling in front of him.

"So?"

"You dislocated it. Pretty badly. It's clear out of the socket. That's why it's hanging there like a noodle and why it hurts so much."

Jack hung on his words, waiting for some good news to come out of the not-all-to-pleasing assessment of his injuries.

There was a moment of silence. They were all wondering the same thing, but no one wanted to ask it.

"Can you...fix it?" Jack finally asked.

Danny let out a small breath. "Yeah..."

"But...?" Jack wanted answers, needed answers, and the fact that he wasn't getting them was quite frustrating. Being in excruciating pain for the past hour was not something that he had, or currently was, enjoying.

"I can't do anything right now because it's too swollen. Ice it for about twenty minutes, and we'll hope it gets back to normal-ish size, and then go from there," Danny explained.

Jack finally snapped. "What does go from there mean? What's your plan? Could you do us all a favor and just say whatever the hell it is you mean? I don't know about you, Danny, but I'm kind of in a shitty situation here, and some answers would be nice, 'cause I'm not looking to go the rest of my life lefty."

A thick moment of silence followed Jack's outburst; Merritt had his eyes fixed on Danny for a response, Henley was staring at Jack, shocked, and Danny had somehow managed to show no emotion, although they all could tell that something was going on in his head.

He took a breath and began speaking calmly to Jack, the kind of calm that isn't meant for the listener, but rather the speaker. "You wanna know? I'll tell you. I'm gonna have to pop your shoulder back in myself, 'cause there's no way in _hell_ we're gonna be able to find a hospital that won't turn us in. And you know what's that's gonna be like? Hell. Absolute fucking hell. You think it hurts now? Just wait. And what's better, we have no painkillers of any kind, so you're on your own here. And, sorry, but I didn't want to tell you all this 'cause I knew you're already terrified- that's right, it's not just Merritt that can figure that shit out- but you just HAD to know, so there you go. Good luck."

A breath trailed Danny's last sentence, as if he had been holding it the entire time. He looked somewhat relieved, but at the same time, guilty. The burst of anger and annoyance had left him, leaving him with an expression of regret. The regret soon took over.

"I'll be back. Ice it, Jack..." he mumbled, while moving towards the door. Jack shot him a challenging look. "Please. Just….do it. I'll be back," he repeated, and then slipped out the door of the apartment into the hallway.

The three horsemen were then left in the living room, all still processing what had just happened. Jack let his head drop into his hand and sighed. "Good job, idiot," he muttered to himself.

 **Let me know what you are or aren't enjoying about this story so I can work to improve. Thank you all so much!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. Enjoy!**

"Jack...it's not your fault." Henley had been watching Jack quietly scolding himself for the past few minutes. His head was in his hands as he sat on the couch, leaning against the arm of it with his legs bent at the knees.

He looked up to her. "Thanks, Hen, but it kinda _is_. Danny was just trying to help and I had to..." He made a meaningless gesture out in front of him–"...ugh.."–let out a frustrated sigh, and ran a hand over his face.

"Don't beat yourself up, kid." Merritt had returned from the kitchen and was now holding a large bag of ice. "Danny's not the...easiest...to be around, so we have to put him in his place every now and then. _You_ , my friend, simply took one for the team," he continued, earning himself a playful eye roll from Jack.

"Yeah...I guess," Jack replied with a small smile.

"Don't worry," Merritt assured. "He's probably just making laps around the hallway."

Jack smirked and laughed a little, imaging their pissed-off leader angrily stomping around the hallways of the small apartment, talking to himself and bumping into other residents.

"So...um..." Merritt raised the bag of ice and looked from it to Jack.

Nodding, Jack reached up to Merritt, who grabbed his hand and gently pulled him into a sitting position. Jack scrunched his eyes shut and let out a pained breath at the movement.

"Ok?" Merritt asked.

"Yeah," Jack rasped, breathing normalizing.

"Just give me a sec..." Merritt trailed off. He placed the bag of ice behind Jack's shoulder and slowly eased him back down into it. He grimaced first at the contact, but then relaxed as the cold soothed his aching joint.

"Good?" Merritt asked.

Jack let out a satisfied breath and closed his eyes. "Yeah...thank you."

Merritt nodded. "Do you want another one? The front is..." he pointed to the front of his own shoulder "...kinda lumpy."

Jack looked down to his swollen arm, wincing at the 'lumpiness', then back to Merritt. "Yeah, good idea. That looks nasty."

"That, it does," Merritt replied as he turned to go back to the kitchen.

"Wait!" He heard Jack's voice over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Could you...get me that blanket?" Jack asked shyly, pointing to the wool heap on the ground across the room.

"Sure," Merritt replied. He tossed the blanket to the youngest horseman, and smirked as Jack wrapped himself in it as best he could, with his one good arm. Seeing Merritt's joy from watching him struggle, Jack stared dully at him. "What?" he snapped. "It's the middle of winter, the heating in here's gone to _shit_ , I'm basically in an igloo, and Danny Edward Scissorhands-ed my shirt!" Merritt continued to laugh, as Jack's tone wasn't one to cross, but coming from the bundle of the wool blanket, it sounded nowhere near as threatening as it could've.

"Alright," Merritt said, holding his hands up in mock surrender and turning back to the kitchen. As he loaded a new plastic bag with ice, he glanced back at the boy on the couch. He looked fine at the moment, (after his angry childish outburst) head resting on the pillow behind him, a small smile upon his lips, but Merritt knew that he was still in a great deal of pain, and there was only more to come.

 _He'll be fine, he'll be fine. He's Jack, when is he_ not _fine..._

Merritt returned to the living room, where Jack and Henley were casually talking, as if it was just another normal Tuesday night in the horsemen household. He smiled at Jack's carefree smile as he spoke with Henley, and his currently painless expression.

"Sorry to interrupt..." the mentalist interjected.

Jack turned his attention to the man speaking. He reached for the bag, but Merritt pulled it back from his reach.

"Yeah, right, kid."

"Ugh, Merritt," Jack groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm not _completely_ useless."

Merritt looked down at Jack and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, you are." Despite the protest, he placed the ice on Jack's shoulder where the concerning deformity was.

"Merritt..." Jack complained, like a stubborn kid refusing to lose even the smallest of arguments.

"Don't 'Merritt' me. If you do anything more to yourself, Danny'll have my head on a platter," Merritt countered.

Jack chuckled. "I'd like to see that."

"I'd like to see that," Merritt mocked, his voice an octave higher than his usual low drawl.

"Hey!"

Merritt laughed and then sat down in the chair diagonal from the couch.

"This is great. I can say whatever I want, and you can't do anything about it!" He threw his hands into the air theatrically, looking to further annoy Jack, and knowing that he succeeded when the boy stared daggers at him. "Ha! I've been waiting for this day..."

"Slow your roll, old man," Jack challenged. "I can take you anytime I want."

"You sure about that? Even with your broken wing?" Merritt teased, pointing to the mound of ice covering Jack's ride sight.

"HA HA very funny," Jack scoffed.

"I thought so, too."

"You're such a–"

"Guys!" Henley slammed her magazine down in her lap. "Can we not go ten minutes without–"

"Me?"

The three of them turned to the door, where Daniel had snuck back in under the cover of their arguments.

"Yes. I thought so," he continued. He had left the timid, guilt-stricken figure lost somewhere in the hallway and had reunited with his arrogant, overly-confident self.

"Missed you," Merritt said with way too much enthusiasm, dawning an extremely artificial smile to go with. Danny returned one of his own, and then made his way over to Jack. He sat on the table and met the boy's eyes with his own.

Jack's face softened immediately. "Danny, look, I'm–"

"I know. Me too." With surprise written all over his face, Jack stared at Daniel for moment, understood, then smiled.

"Good," Danny replied. His face changed from the sympathetic smile to the still-kind-but-serious protector, determined to help Jack. He took a breath. "So, how's it feeling?" He reached for the bag of ice. Slowly removing it, he watched Jack's face for any sign of discomfort, to which he saw none.

"Better," Jack replied, carefully watching Danny's every movement.

"How's the pain?" Danny asked. He shifted himself backwards on the table to grab Jack's hand.

"Um... it's kinda–" Jack grunted as Daniel pulled him up "–numb, so I can't really feel it...which is nice." Daniel laughed a little to himself as he reached behind Jack to retrieve the ice pack, then tossed it to Merritt in the nearby chair.

"Can you stay sitting up?" Danny asked Jack.

"Yeah."

Danny reached for Jack's shoulder, but noticed the small flinch rattle through the boy. "Relax," Danny said calmly to him. "It's still numb. You might not feel anything. And even if you do, it won't be too bad. And if it is, just tell me. See? I got everything figured out."

Jack nodded. "Thank you."

Danny returned the nod. He placed one hand on the front of Jack's shoulder and the other on the back, as if he was holding a ball. The skin was cold to the touch, to Danny's delight, and he was glad to know that Jack had at least _some_ relief. He began to push lightly from the front of the joint, cushioning the force with his hand on the back. Jack grimaced at this.

"Hurt?" Danny questioned.

Jack swallowed a lump. "It feels...weird. Like it's not 'mine'," he replied.

"Yeah, it's most likely numb. Does it hurt at all?" Danny asked again.

"Yeah...a little." From the way Jack had been closing his eyes more often than a normal blink, and the way his breaths were coming in shorter than usual, Daniel could tell that, despite his words, it hurt more than just "a little".

However, he didn't want to challenge Jack at the moment, so he continued inspecting the injured arm. He was pleased to see that the swelling had gone down, which would hopefully enable him to set the joint back in place. Before they could get to that, though, Daniel had to break the news to Jack, who already had some idea of what was the come, but not the entirety of it.

"Jack? I have to pop it back in."

Jack's eyes widened. "That's gonna be hell, isn't it?"

Danny sighed, knowing Jack was thinking back to his angry outburst earlier. "I'm sorry, ok? I shouldn't have said that–"

"But it is, isn't it?" Jack cut him off. His expression was dangerously grave, and his tone, flat. Danny met Jack's eyes and held a stare. He knew there was no use lying to him.

"Danny!"

Danny broke the gaze, startled by Jack's yell. Another sigh. "Yeah. It'll be hell, alright."

Jack felt a cold panic run over him at the response he was expecting, but was hoping he wouldn't get. He knew whatever happened, it was going to hurt, but his exhausted mind had twisted the facts he already knew into arbitrary "maybe's". He closed his eyes, let out a frustrated, tired breath, and swallowed hard. Finally, he looked back to Danny after wrestling with his own dialogue.

"Well, better get it done, then."

 **Hope you liked it. Reviews always appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry for the delay, but thank you again for the kind reviews! They really make my day. Here's chapter 5.**

Jack lay nervously on the ground as Danny ran gentle hands over the injured shoulder. He shuddered, as his arm was no longer numb, and every touch seemed magnified.

Danny finished prodding the arm, and rocked back on his heels so he was now kneeling in front of Jack. Henley had positioned herself to Jack's left, neither of them sure if it was for Jack's comfort or for her own. Merritt remained in the chair by the couch.

"You're gonna hear a pop, and then you'll feel your shoulder shift back in place," Danny explained. "You need to tell me when you do. Ok?"

"How do I know what that feels like..." Jack questioned shyly.

"Don't worry. You'll know."

Jack looked at him wearily. "Ok."

"Ready?"

"No..."

"Well... _get_ ready."

Danny gently but firmly took hold of Jack's arm, one hand on his elbow and the other on his forearm. He then began slowly sliding it along the carpet up towards Jack's neck, the end position to form a 90 degree angle with his torso.

Jack clenched his jaw shut to suppress any screams. It seemed that air wasn't reaching his lungs, as his breaths came in as short, insufficient gulps. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," he continually whispered to himself to keep from letting more colorful words escape.

Danny continued to move the arm upwards. The higher it got, the more the pain spiked, and the shallower the breaths got.

"Breath, Jack, almost there," Danny half-lied.

"Trying," Jack sputtered back.

Danny finally had the arm raised almost parallel with Jack's shoulders. He knew that this was where the pain would be the most severe, and was hoping that Jack wouldn't pull away from his grasp.

"Shit," Jack muttered through his clenched jaw, a white hot agony exploding through his entire right side. He let out a loud groan as Danny moved the arm further up, and squeezed his eyes shut tight.

"Ow. Ow. OW. _OW_."

Then, a sickening pop traveled around the room.

Jack grimaced at the noise. Suddenly after, the pain subsided into a warm ache, and he felt the ball of his shoulder slide back to its normal position.

"Ok ok ok it's there it's there please stop _please stop PLEASE STOP_ ," he rasped out quickly.

Danny eased the arm down to Jack's side and rocked back into a kneeling position.

Jack grabbed his injured arm with his left hand, squeezing it tightly. His eyes were still shut, and his jaw, clenched. He repeatedly whispered "ow" and brought his knees closer to his chest as if he was folding into himself, all while his breaths continued to come in short gasps. After a minute or so, he stretched himself out on his back and laid there on the floor in an exhausted mess.

"Jack?"

He looked to Danny.

"What?" he said, his voice hoarse.

"We're not done yet."

"What?" he repeated, this time more of a challenge then a question.

Danny just nodded. "I'm sorry."

Jack let his head drop and slowly shook it. _No, no, no,_ he said over in his mind.

"I'm sorry," Danny said again. He reached for Jack's arm, which was currently folded across his body. As soon as he touched it, Jack turned away from his touch.

"No."

"Jack..."

"Danny, I swear to God if you touch me right now, I _will_ throw up...give me a minute."

The words shot out of Jack like daggers, and Danny wasn't about to challenge him. Surprised and extremely guilty, he stood up and backed up, not wanting to upset Jack any further.

The exhausted sleight focused on his breathing, afraid he would soon pass out if he didn't pull himself together. _In, out, in, out,_ he repeated in his head. Eyes closed, he soon normalized his breathing and had managed to calm himself down.

The other three horsemen watched in great concern, not wanting to gawk, but afraid to take their eyes off their youngest member.

 _Ok. Ok. OK._

The weary brown eyes peeked back out, still drained, but gathered. Daniel noticed first.

"Ready?"

"Have at it."

"Alright. Same as before. Tell me when it moves." Danny spoke slowly to Jack, not wanting to push him further than necessary in his already agitated state.

"Yeah...Just do it," Jack said thickly. He was looking Danny straight in the eyes but he seemed to be looking through him, and not at him, attempting to distance himself from the situation he was currently in.

Danny gingerly wrapped his hands around Jack's forearm and began raising it straight up, and then back.

Once again, Jack shut his eyes tight and gritted his teeth. The pain was worse than the first time, which he hadn't even thought possible. As Danny moved his arm higher, and the agony spiked, the pain climbed into his throat in a knot, and Jack had to restrain himself from hurling. _Told you_ , he thought bitterly. His arm was now almost even with his neck, and a crunch rattled through his joints. He shuddered violently, knowing it wasn't the pop he was looking for, while wishing only for it all to be over. Another crunch rattled, echoing through his body. " _Fuck..._ " It was barely audible through his gritted teeth.

Then the pop sounded, followed by a new burst of pain, to which Jack couldn't help but reach next to him and grab Henley's hand. He squeezed it harder, harder and harder, and let out the scream that he had been caging behind gritted teeth.

"Is it there?" Danny asked hurriedly.

Jack swallowed another yell and opened his eyes to Daniel.

"Ye...yeah." He had felt the joint pop back in, again, but the instructions to tell Danny had gotten lost in his pain-muddled brain. "Yeah," he repeated, taking a shaky breath. "Yeah. Done."

"Yeah, we're done," Daniel assured.

A tired, weak smile spread across Jack's face.

"Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"You were right."

Daniel looked confusedly down at Jack.

"About what?"

"That _was_...absolute...fucking...hell." And with that, the black spots that had been gnawing at the edges of Jack's vision took over, and he allowed the darkness to wash over him in a blanket of warm relief.

 **Yep, as I warned, I made my own medical rules to better suit the whump, which I don't think you guys mind, but sorry if you do. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, keep the reviews coming pleeeease, and next chapter should be up soon. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait! Here's chapter 6.**

Jack awoke the next morning in his bed, slightly disorientated. The last thing he remembered was lying on the floor of the living room, although he wasn't sure why, but what he _did_ know was that there was a dull, aching throb emanating from his right arm that he wished would stop. He looked down at the mound of pillows underneath his arm and shoulder, propping the limb up to higher than his torso.

He went to push himself up with his left arm, jostling his right side in the process. A groggy argh burst from his lips as he collapsed back down to the bed, and his arm, to the pillows.

 _Oh yeah_ , he remembered, _I'm broken_.

He shut his eyes quickly as the fresh wave of pain unforgivingly washed over him. Opening his eyes, he grabbed his injured arm with his left hand and held it lightly.

 _So, don't do_ that _again_ , he thought snarkily to himself.

"Jack?"

He turned to the door.

"Hi," he croaked, his face still scrunched in pain.

Henley smiled her warm, motherly smile at him and walked up to the side of the bed. Nonetheless, she couldn't pry his usual goofy smirk out.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

Jack let out a soft groan into the pillow beside him.

"It fucking hurts."

He knew that Henley hated when he swore, but considering all he had gone through, he felt justified.

She sighed. "Jack..."

"Sorry. It...hurts. Better?"

She laughed. "No, that's not what I meant. If it makes you feel better, then say whatever you want. I just wish it was over. You look horrible..." She trailed off, saying more than she wanted to.

"Gee, thanks, Hen," he replied, laughing a little.

"Ugh, Jack. I can't speak today."

He laughed again. "It's ok. Really. I _do_ look terrible."

She smiled back at him. "Do you need anything? I told Danny and Merritt I'd be back out soon."

He thought over the offer, then told her he didn't need anything at the moment, but he'd let her know. She dropped a light kiss on his forehead, and then exited the room.

"How's he doing?" Merritt asked from the table when Henley returned. Danny was seated next to him.

" 'It fucking hurts' ", Henley replied. Both men gave her a strange look. "His words exactly."

Danny let out a puff of a laugh into his coffee cup and then took a sip. "I'd be surprised if it didn't."

"Danny!" Henley scolded him.

Danny put his cup down and held up his hands as if asking 'what did I do?'

"What? He popped it clear out of the socket. It if _didn't_ hurt, then I'd be worried. I don't like seeing him in pain, I really don't–"

"Aw, is Danny worried about his little Jackie?" Merritt teased.

Daniel thumped the back of Merritt's head, causing him to spray coffee all over the counter. Henley almost spit hers out, too, from the sudden burst of giggles.

"I'm gonna go check on him," Danny said, still eyeing Merritt. He placed his cup on the table and headed for Jack's bedroom.

"Don't come back anytime soon!" Merritt called after him as he wiped up the coffee.

Danny smirked, satisfied with himself. He approached Jack's room, and knocked on the open door as he entered. "Rise and shine."

Jack cracked his eyes back open to see the older man standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Hi Danny," he rasped. His voice was extremely dry, and his throat felt and sounded like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

"Hold on," Danny mumbled as he ran back to the kitchen.

Jack, confused and mind still trudging through dull pain, simply watched Danny with curious eyes. Danny soon returned with a glass of water.

"Here, Kermit." He handed the glass to Jack who took it gratefully.

"Thank...you," he said between gulps. The glass was soon empty, and he handed it back to Danny.

"Thirsty much?" he laughed as he took the glass.

"Just a little."

Danny looked down at the weak figure in the bed. His right side was still swallowed up by the pillows supporting his arm, and, as he had heard Henley say earlier, he _did_ look horrible. Danny hadn't seen him smile, really smile, since he had walked in, as his expression was that of a pained and tired boy.

"So. It fucking hurts?" Danny asked.

Jack turned red and looked at his hands. "Yeah..." he said shyly. He had thought that after Danny had popped his arm back in place, the pain would decrease significantly, so the severe pain that he was still experiencing aggravated him greatly.

"Why, though?" he suddenly asked.

Danny just stared. "Why what?"

"Why does it–" Jack was cut off by a sudden sharp pain that ran through his arm. He grabbed his shoulder and groaned softly. After the wave passed, he opened his eyes. "Still do...that?"

"Because you dislocated it completely. Like this." Danny balled his fist. "This is your shoulder joint." Then he cupped his other hand over the fist. "This is what it's supposed to be like." He then slipped the balled fist out of his other hand. " _This_ is what you did to yourself." Jack flinched slightly at the sight, remembering the sensation when he fell over the wall. "Yeah. I know," Danny said, noticing Jack's reaction. He then continued. "This is what we did to it yesterday." Danny pushed his fist back into his other hand. "It's here now. It still hurts because from here to here–" he slipped his fist out of his hand "–you messed up the tissue and ligaments and whatever else. It'll take time to heal, but it'll get there if you're careful."

"Are you...sure?" It pained Danny how young and scared Jack looked.

"Yes. Do you want to know why?"

Jack nodded.

"I grew up with two older brothers. And I wasn't...the strongest. This–" he motioned to Jack's arm "–was a monthly occurrence."

Jack stared blankly at Danny. "I'm sorry." The words fell out of his mouth as if he didn't know what else to say. "Man...that _sucks_. I'm sorry."

Danny shifted uncomfortably and let out a defensive breath of a laugh. "It's fine, really. I didn't tell you for pity. I just want you to know why I know, and that I'm not just pretending like I know everything. Like what you and Merritt and Henley make fun of me for when I'm not home."

"What? We don't…." Jack tried to play it off as if he didn't know what Danny was talking about.

"Yeah, you do," Danny said matter-of-factly. "But just trust me, ok?"

Jack looked up at him, feeling so small in his bed under the protection of pillows.

"Believe it or not, Danny, despite all the shit I give you...I always trust you."

 **I tried to write more to the brotherly relationship between Jack and Danny that some of you mentioned, so I hope that worked out. Next chapter will be up next week (hopefully). Reviews always appreciated. Thank you!**


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